Unexpected
by Hawki
Summary: Oneshot: You shouldn't expect the unexpected with Ghosts. Rather, you should expect nothing. And if one such Ghost becomes the Queen of Blades, then prepare to have most of your expectations shattered altogether.


**Unexpected**

_Meeting_

He expected to be bleeding out of his mouth, ears and every other opening on Antiga Prime after meeting her for the first time. He'd just found out the hard way that she was a telepath, and via some scuttlebutt with Mike and some other Sons of Korhal members, learnt that she was a teek also. He couldn't say he'd blamed her, considering that the first thing he saw when seeing her red hair, green eyes and hard face was wondering how to...experience it.

Yet even after repelling Alpha Squadron's counter-attack against the Antigan rebels and their SOK allies, he's still alive. He supposes that's a good thing.

Especially when he sees the remains of her handiwork in the command centre.

_Psi Emitter_

He expected her to be completely unmoved by using the psi emitter against Delta Squadron. To lure the zerg in, with the protoss following and consigning Antiga Prime and every remaining human on it to death by claw or lightning. Even now he's having trouble dealing with the moral ramifications, of what such a weapon means for their struggle against the Confederacy. Of what Mengsk and his second-in-command might do with such a device.

It's to his surprise that she...a Ghost...a killer...is clearly distressed about the whole thing. Maybe even more than him.

It's also to his surprise when she accepts his offer for coffee.

_The Queen of Blades_

He expected her to have some humanity left after...what happened.

Her refusal for aid at New Gettysburg wasn't entirely unexpected. She was a Ghost...a lone wolf, and ten days of coffee and conversation wasn't going to change that. So no, Guinevere refusing Lancelot wasn't unexpected in this case-she'd always remain loyal to Mengsk, the proverbial King Arthur. And while his Rangers gazed blankly at the use of such terms, he nonetheless descended to the surface with Mike to save her.

And failed. And failed again on Char when he saw that the zerg had done the 'saving' for him. True, she let him go, gave him more chances than she should have done on Char, but he knew that at the end, she'd learnt from her 'mistakes'. And on Korhal, as he looked in horror on the carnage she was wrecking on the Dominion and protoss forces, as he raged in frustration as Fenix was torn apart, he realized that he hadn't learnt from his mistakes at all.

You can't trust anyone tainted by the zerg.

Their betrayal of their own humanity and everyone around them is to be expected.

_Return_

He expected her to return to the Koprulu Sector eventually. He just wished it was a longer period than four years.

He's waged his own war against the Dominion-a different evil from the zerg, but one where he can actually make a difference. But not the critters are back, with their queen leading them. Perhaps deep down, he hoped that this wouldn't be the case, that all she needed was time to regain what the zerg had taken away from her. But it's been false hope. And now, as he gazes upon her visage on the flatscreen, he knows it.

On Monlyth, on Tyrador VIII, he's reminded of it. That there are only two ways the Second Great War can end.

It's only to be expected.

_Restoration_

This...is unexpected.

He had no real expectations for this. The xel'naga device, Valerian's plan, Tychus's true colours standing revealed...he wasn't sure how this would end at all. Ending the war by cutting off the head of the serpent...that was the essence of the plan, even if he and the prince might have had their own ideas as to the specifics. Who knew that the head could survive being separated from the body...and that the mind of the head would return to what it once was?

He'd hoped that would be the case, for reasons both personal and, in light of the visions Zeratul gave him...well, biblical as well, for lack of a better word. But he didn't expect anything. After all these years, he'd learnt that expectation will inevitably lead to disappointment.

But as he carries her across the battlefield, he knows that lack of expectation can lead to joy.

* * *

_A/N_

_Admittedly the idea for this came from the basic formula of "x things that y expected, and z things (s)he didn't." Probably fair to say the teaser trailer for _Heart of the Swarm _played a role as well. Can't say it got me too pumped for the game, but being a teaser as opposed to an actual trailer, that's to be expected. Besides, I'll probably end up watching plenty of trailers, succesful or otherwise on sites commenting on E3._


End file.
